Racism: A History

A documentary which is exploring the impact of racism on a global scale, as part of the season of programmes marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. Beginning by assessing the implications of the relationship between Europe, Africa and the Americas in the 15th century, it considers how racist ideas and practices developed in key religious and secular institutions, and how they showed up in writings by European philosophers Aristotle and Immanuel Kant.

Looking at Scientific Racism, invented during the 19th century, an ideology that drew on now discredited practices such as phrenology and provided an ideological justification for racism and slavery. These theories ultimately led to eugenics and Nazi racial policies of the master race. Some upsetting scenes.

The third and final episode of Racism: A History examines the impact of racism in the 20th Century. By 1900, European colonial expansion had reached deep into the heart of Africa. Under the rule of King Leopold II, The Belgian Congo was turned into a vast rubber plantation. Men, women and children who failed to gather their latex quotas would have their limbs dismembered. The country became the scene of one of the century’s greatest racial genocides, as an estimated 10 million Africans perished under colonial rule. Contains scenes which some viewers may find disturbing.

One of the finest documentaries ever made. It has real intellectual heft and a powerful poetic style. The reason why it only achieves 7 out of 10 are because people shy away from its searing truth.

There are those who will not accept any of this has happened because they are not fair minded and there are those who believe they are fair minded and simply can't believe that these events were not unusual but were a product of how are economy was run in the centuries before the industrial revolution.

A tour de force there has been nothing ever like it. For those who are unsure about watching it do so you will be richly rewarded by this epic piece of poetic history.

I admire your efforts to expose the horrorsof the slave trade. But you failed to mention the roll the Dutch Jews played In the slave trade . We know about the roll the catholic played but your deliberate exclusion of the jews is shameful.. You hypocrites.

Socialism and not capitalism forced racism issues. America, which on paper is still capitalist, had to undergo a Civil War to correct racial suppression. Perhaps, the steady supply of new migrants from the Old World prolonged the social struggle that the American Civil War politics hoped to change.

In contrast, NAZI socialism is all about racial supremacy. However, this is mainly due to the failure of the politicians to learn the lessons that they confuse as Biblical fact. Yup, Hitler was a weak scholar and the NAZI party enacted policies based on his poor ideas that emulate the disobedience of Israel.

Hitler wanted to supplant the Jews and become the next Master Race, based on the final blessing of Isaac to his sons. Hitler, however, failed to understand that the Jews were not Israel; Jews are from the breakaway kingdom of Judea that rebelled against Israel, the original kingdom that peaked under Solomon the wise.

King Solomon was never racist. He was in fact the opposite and indiscriminately married foreigners from different places / races. The Israel society that King Solomon left was multi-racial and this was what the Jews resented, leading to the breakaway state.

For Germany to allow Hitler and NAZI politics to spread betrays the failure of German society to stay on course from its determination to keep faithful. The world ought to thank Germans for the first printing press which mass produced the Holy Bible; It was also the first to protest against unfaithful practices of the Catholic Church. Yet Germany permitted the Nazi to lead many into following erroneous ideas of Scriptures and complete disobedience of the Word.

Discussing racism is impossible to forget of Sweden. If not the cradle of racism for sure the greenhouse of it. The cuntry that inspired nazi racism and that collaboreted with them untill 1944. In Sweden the first national institute for racial biology was grounded in 1921.

Why not also include the decades when the north African Muslims enslaved a million Europeans, a problem that was not heading toward a resolution until the founding of the US Navy, And what happened to any discussion of indentured servants, when poorer Whites from such places as Ireland (who certainly did not practice slavery) were often treated even worse than a favorite slave. Check out 'The Pioneer Little Europe' prospectus, because only Whites are attempting to compete without the benefit of a community and its clout in today's world

I'd say add to every University level social sciences class. Excellent representation and devastating. I did study human relations and racism in college and have found it extremely frustrating at how little honest review we have on the subject. I like the ideas of the birth of racism, and look at prior genocide based on factors other then race. I will watch this again. Thank you.

It is clear from the video that white supremacy as an ideology emerged as a product of conquest, genocide, colonialism, and the African slave trade. All of these are in fact interrelated and inextricably linked to capitalism. The system of capitalism was built in Western Europe through the conquest of the Americas, the genocide of indigenous nations, colonialism, African slavery, and neo-colonialism in the modern era. Thus, capitalism has been a system of white supremacy from its very inception.

one word rwanda- equals white belgian colonialists....and greedy whit southafrica business men......behind every attrocity committed is a white man or whie owned corporation.......thats just the reality......slavery/colonisation to present day economic and institutionaled rascism.....we need a colourlest people revolution for love and peace and harmony and abolish money..

Watched the full documentary. and my gut reaction is disgusting to know how the so called “fully evolved civilized humans” have executed such heinous crimes against humanity to satisfy their unsatisfactory soul for money, power, greed… by imposing their racist theories. what went wrong in the brains of the so called “superior race” during the evolution process and they became so barbarous! is there any study done of the brain of the so called “superior race” for their barbarism? and what kind of “soul” they were possessed with???
This is an excellent documentary with analysis to understand how racism originated and how and why slavery was practiced. well, even today racism and slavery is very much practiced in various forms! Thanks for uploading the documentary, I am sure this is awakening the present generation to challenge these racist theories!

Thinking there's some difference in the brains of white people, or "the superior race", if you will (I will most certainly not, just to be clear on that) is in itself somewhat racist. That's like saying "what's wrong with black people, seeing as they live in the ghetto", both untrue and disgusting statements.

White people became the "superior race" partly because europe is smack dab in the middle of everything. I know you're thinking "the earth is round.. europe is in the middle of the map, but that's just how maps are printed" which is very true, but regardless, europe really is very centrally located between America, which became instrumental in securing the status as the "superior race", and all sorts of trading partners in the east, and free labor to the south..

England was very important. I would say that if it wasn't for the british empire, we might have had china or japan as the really big power in medieval times and beyond. Once europe discovered America it was basically sealed. White people now had much of africa, india and other parts of asia and america. Basically, white people won a game of Risk, and now we reap the benefits..so to speak.. Benefits I wouldn't mind being without.

Anton AcidTrip Carroll
- 06/15/2012 at 12:33

wow im a so called "black" male and this video shows me who the real savages are.... to think that ur race or class is better than another is complete absent mindedness. and it is still going on today even if everone thinks this war is so called "over" the rich are still ruling the poor and the so called "whites" are trying to exteminate the "blacks".....

Where ever you go in the world, bigotry is there. Seeping in the cracks of every part of society... and don't think it's just the evil "whites." ...One word, Rwanda.

Amaka Okechukwu
- 06/28/2012 at 00:32

Comparing slavery and racism to the issues between the Hutus and the Tutsies is dangerously misleading. The reason for the hatred and the numerous genocides were as a result of economic suffering - where the Hutus were supressed for decades, were defacto second class citizens as a result of a colonial legacy, for the most part, as well as the usual herder/farmer tensions over land. While that does not condone the genocides on both sides, it certaintly makes Rwanda a very different kettle of fish to a case of pure unbridled racism.

Epicurus
- 04/16/2012 at 22:09

for some reason i love this documentary. i am going to watch it again for about the third time.

I don't think Jesus would have said anything... since there's no hard evidence he even existed. :P

mae_mc
- 03/24/2015 at 18:58

There's more hard evidence for Jesus than there is for Alexander the Great. Public education screwed you. Look it up yourself instead of being spoon fed everything.

Sam pender
- 03/09/2012 at 03:10

In Australia Aboriginal people still suffer under race based policys, and yes some how they have fooled the public into thinking removing human rights is in some way suposed to help empower them, things wont change when its the same system today that inflicted all the past atrocitys, they are good at blaming Aboriginals for the guilt white australians created themselfs, In australia we are struggling to get the public to vote for the removal of race descrimination in our constitution, the government have a 100% failure rate in planning and implementation of all programs yet say Aboriginals are failures, give them the chance to fail before calling them failures, we have an Aboriginal industry in Australia with thousands and thousands of non Aboriginal people employed to implement the failed programs, it has progressed to a stage there are to many non Aborignals employed to scale back or we will have an unemployment crisis, if Aboriginals had the chance to control their own lifes and started to fix the problems made by non Aborignals the unemployment rate would sky rocket, I tend to believe this is a major reason why government and society wont allow Aboriginal Australians even one chance at self determination, if Aboriginals are raised from the bottom society we will need to replace those at the bottom, the assimilation process in Australia qualifys as genocide, forced off their land, forced to stop teaching languages, forced to join the mainstream to benefit some rich guy who doesnt give a crap, more power to them for not conforming to an obviously backward system

Race discrimination in our constitution? Can you please identify the section? You will struggle because it doesn't exist. The current debate is whether to include a special reference to Aborigines in the constitution, not to take one out! The race based policies you refer to are not to make Aborigines suffer, but are designed to help them. You are right, however, in saying that they seem to be making no difference. Self determination based on race? That sounds racist to me!

Ophelia Scullcrack
- 03/07/2012 at 10:00

Im australian and i feel proud of my heritage , having guilt over our heads is not helpful but taking responsibility to ensure these atrocities do not happen again is the only way towards a truly equal society for all , blacks , whites , women and men included. Not all aboriginal people are peaceful just as not all whites are racists , you cannot and should not judge the entire race by the actions of their forefathers no matter which race you are referring to. But all in all a fabulous documentary with some brillient resources to reference if you contact the bbc they will give you the people to contact for further research :) thanks Top Docs !

Just watched parts 1 & 2 of this incredible doco.
It reduced me to tears.
I am very ashamed of so called 'white culture', which is nothing more than a history of racism.
I live in Australia, BTw -and before any other white Australians want to jump in and criticise me,
- let me just say - F*CK YOU - learn YOUR history.
About to watch part 3, and I am not expecting a happy ending..

I think that there is an unfair mis-characterization of the minstrel show in this doc. Minstrel shows were the most popular form of entertainment at the time. Blacks and whites played the same music and cultural exchange occurred. Whites and blacks had to adopt blackface to play the music that they loved in public. There is no doubt that society was divided along racial lines, but many white musicians dedicated themselves to learning so-called black music, paying tribute to it.

Yes terrible-but -the enslavery is today used by 'persons' such as British Diane Abbott (avowed Jamaican or Bahamian-or one of those islands out yonder-for her)
Diane Abbott- MP-or MEP -or both---(plus her media 'work' payments which are never inconsiderable)-to do what? You guessed it..to add to her bank balance and curiously -such is society today----her re-election.

Should be part of school curriculum all over the world.
It was really difficult, but unfortunately, I could not watch this movie without crying.
And most of all, because, such injustices still continue in the world today.

I agree about this being integrated into our schools. But then how much of what kids (and what we were) taught is shallow skimming. Eyes need to be opened.
Another subject that should be taught is the history of religion as that too have many dangerously blind followers following without knowing the history about it.
We need to wake up!

mehdi
- 12/10/2010 at 13:48

racism the blody human nature is that what every humanbeing might be thinking of while some one watch this documantry or the war begins in any part of the world? i asked my self this morning before watching this documantry because i ask my self every day. i have been living in europe from more than 8 eyears an i know what does it realy means, and i think this is not in the humane nature it is created either by governments or powerfull full individuals, and it is a big sign of human backwardness and savegery.

One should always maintain perspective when watching a video like this. For example, arabs enslaved 4 million whites and 17 million blacks over a period of several hundred years. Japanese imperialists murdered 25 million Chinese civilians during WW2. Then Chinese Communists turned around and murdered another 60 million of their own people. But the Islamic Moguls of India take the prize -- they murdered over 80 million hindus over a period of a couple hundred years. And many of the worst human rights abuses today are being committed by blacks in Africa -- including slavery and genocide. None of this is to say any group is better or worse than another. But that every group has members who have done bad things at one time or another. And we should all be concerned by those who would turn human rights tragedy into a pissing contest. Because those are the kind of people most likely to support the next human rights tragedy.

Fred, I guess when one views all the wrongs commited against other people in the context of world history then none of us are exempt nor exonerated from being above causing some kind of tragic events to humankind. Who can point a finger in condemnation?

who_me_yeah_you
- 03/27/2011 at 12:13

I dont agree. The Innuit have not to my knowledge been warlike or aggressive. Australian Aboriginal peoples were also a respectful bunch. There are no doubt countless others.

Tata Colins
- 07/21/2011 at 19:04

the human right abuses committed in Afrika as you put it, is still the misfortune and bad omen brought by the imperialist racist in the form of "civilization" and later on "democracy " still control, forcing them at gun point and sword to work to their deaths for the benefit of the i don't know what..., then to create enmity within their own kind, hate and kill one another yet still through the manipulation of the racist imperialist devil today. Africans as well as "colored" peoples around the world lived in harmony and peace for thousands of years( beginning times) before the arrival of the greedy "devil". The "whites" are still those in Africa today supplying them with ammunition to kill each other simple for their greedy motives...( france, britain, usa, "UNO") you make me sick to my stomach when you try to justify the injustices caused by the whites for centuries...

MikeOneTwo
- 02/24/2012 at 19:27

this is a documentary on racism, not genocide. someone's feeling defensive...

Anton AcidTrip Carroll
- 06/15/2012 at 12:43

there is no difference between the two

rrchicagojazz
- 03/16/2012 at 20:26

The problem with what you said is that all,all of black peoples wealth has been sucked up by white blood suckers that refuse to pay any reparations for all the wealth they have stolen or out right took from Africans around the world.When the white gangster race pays for in dollars what they have taken from blacks,then and only then can you say anything close to what you just said.

Anne
- 03/20/2013 at 21:54

Ultimately it goes down to the recency of the events and the actions afterwards, so that's the legacy it left. And don't forget the mental implications. Never before had there been such a large scale displacement of peoples as slaves.

In the instances you named, the countries who had perpetrated those bad deeds do not still have a heavy hand in the countries named, if that was the case, then you'd see a people in a similar state as those of African decent are now.

Rick
- 04/15/2013 at 11:55

Fred you make a very clear and valid observation. After absorbing your points I re-read it and found myself asking why at each juncture. My conclusions are profit, ideology, religion and greed rest at the base of these outcomes you mention. In whole or in combination. You use the term "every group". Again I ask WHY? This may be the key to the to the reasons. We as humans have not evolved much since the beginning of time. As evidenced in the fact that we do the same things now that we have always done. One would feel that with social advancements we would have improved. But in fact in some areas we have digressed. Due in large to humankind allowing themselves to be splintered by the motives mentioned above. Excuses are made my those of influence who have even dedicated their efforts to support the "pissing contest"! but it is not a contest. It is a well thought out act designed to do exactly what it does! Look around you at the situations in the recorded history of this world and notice the patterns!! Hidden in plain sight!

D. lm
- 11/04/2010 at 23:05

this documentary tells the truth about our every day lives, alot of information that some people dont want you to know is very important that our youth know this so that they have a better understanding on why theres so much uniquality on our society...

You are truly mistaken. THIS transcends liberal or conservative idealogy. People in the U.S. have a difficult time seperating and ideological concept from a belief system that perpetuates racism on the scale that is experienced today.

Lucid Glow
- 10/05/2010 at 23:48

Racism is very much alive and "thriving" today. The same mechanisms of oppression and division are still present. There's still the same ill wind blowing everywhere, making sure it will all continue.

I find Europeans are in denial about racism that exists in your society as well. Considering your continent has an incredible attachment to the Americas and the history of racism, don't be so smug. Events going on in Europe look frightening, to be honest.

I am not saying racism isn't an issue in America, of course it is, and a major one at that, but stop denying that it doesn't exist or Europeans are somehow clean of it. A majority of the worst genocides in the last 100 years were perpetrated by Europeans.

The worst genocides to have happened in the last 100 years have happened in Africa!

Clix (????)
- 03/27/2011 at 14:03

Name a few. I will name a few for each one you name that pale the African ones in Europe, not to mention I will give you empirical evidence of American or European involvement in each one of the African genocides of the last century.

Let's get this party started.

Ryan
- 09/29/2010 at 22:42

Ironically, it wasn't the weakness of Africans, but the strength of them that attracted European slavers. It really was by process of elimination and Indigenous people often escaped slavery because they knew the land so well.

Africans were tough, strong, hard working, mostly farmers, immune to Old and New world diseases and the political situation in Western Africa at the time was chaotic. Also, slavery has been around forever, up until the 1900's it was universally recognized as normal.

I think what made the Atlantic trade so unique is how race was so important to justifying it. Other civilizations had diverse populations of slave and generally treated them better than Europeans did. They exclusively took Africans and used them, which obviously gave them a superiority complex.

It's amazing, but obvious that this still defines Euro-African relations today.

Brad reynolds
if after watching this documentary you could still use the word ungrateful to describe people oppressed over centuries then i think the people who need civilization forced upon them will be your kind.
Albert
The truth hurts wether you recomend this documetary or not doesn't change the truth it presents to the viewers.

This is quite inspiring, it really should be introduced into modern history class not just in the US but across the globe espescially in africa, so the present african generation can understand the frame of mind of europeans and americans and not get carried away by the sentiments.

Holy F@#$ white people! "Cops" feature blacks but, whites have been f@#$%&* over others in the world for, what seems like forever! God DAMN....and the production, I wager, is funded by mostly if not completely by white folks. (I think I just made a racist assumption).

this should be standard classroom material for all schools in the USA, this is a perfect example of learning the past... by an in depth look at race theory and the practice of it this doc can awake new generations to move on

History is construct. It mean it's rewritten and reinterpreted all the time. Why do you think one of the biggest taboos during slavery was learning slaves to read and write? Why do you think Alex Haleys "Roots" became so famous and in many ways you probably can't imagine very important? And finally why do you think this doc. upset you so much, it's hard to look in the mirror when you don't like what you see, it's easier to blame and point fingers rather than learn and rethink, is it not?

The word ''slave'' originated from slavic and these are people who've been captured on the eastern frontier... What a nonsense!!! It originated from sclavus, which is latin for slave. It would be funny if the people (savic) would call themselves slaves, wouldn't it? Because, there are countries like Slovakia, Slovenia, triebs, regions in the slavic teritories. They would be very selfunderestimating to call themselves slaves... The doc itself is an interesting work, lots of information for someone who's not American.

behind the scenes stories from western ''civilization'',shocking,disgusting....everyone describing himself as a human being should watch this doc..no obligation for the rest(i mean racists the beasts)...and i hope raising awareness about the issue could have help in preventing future atrocities..

This documentary is produced just in time for the 200 anniversary of the abolition act. So I think the content fits perfectly.

Albert
- 07/05/2010 at 22:49

I think the documentary is incomplete. They did not mention anything about the racist movements that took place against southern Europeans such as Italians and Portuguese people in the early 1900s in the US. They were considered inferior and hence Italians and southern European people were not allowed to immigrate to the US. Canada had also adopted this law against the Italians.

Very good documentary, it broke down why we have some of the attitudes towards each other in modern day.
Brad Reynolds comments highlight what i have just said "400 years of getting your foot in the door" and then use the the word ungrateful is absolutely shocking. Just goes to show that the powers that be done a very good job of managing to keep some people ignorant and blind to the real facts through lies and re-written history in books that have been used to teach in our schools.

i have a DVD copy which you can have at $100. if you have not had . i cried watching this doc. so educational which our young generation should know in other to avoid such calamities in the future..

Chief
- 05/05/2010 at 03:30

What this represents is the courage and integrity of people willing to present an unsanitized aspect of European History; including the role of Catholicism and Christianity in dehumanizing people of color. It also exposes the corrupt interpretation of Darwin's Origin of Species, through the science of eugenics and its effort to annihilate white people whose heredity did not include genes for blond hair and blue eyes. It is painful to watch

I'm 30 seconds in and I don't feel like watching this now. Racism started in the 16th and 17th centuries?? This is nonsense. Cultures have always enslaved other cultures for as long civilizations have existed. With slavery comes racism. If one culture is viewed as dirt that is supposed to do everyone's work, they will naturally be looked down on by their oppressors. Also, the slaves, undoubtedly, viewed their oppressors in a negative light. I'm going to watch this, but I get the feeling that this is just a jab at the white man. Shame. I would have liked to see something on the forgotten history of racism.

Slavery is not a white black issue it has been around forever. In many , many cultures. Literally since the beginning of time. I call the English African slave trade as terrible but also 400 years of getting your foot in the door. Kind of ungrateful in the end if you ask me. People may hate me but hey that was how history was..........people didn`t think like we do now and slavery is still bigger than ever!

Great film! Shows how the construct of "race" has been and continues to be used to justify economic exploitation and injustices. It is easier to drive a people from their land, enslave them, or even exterminate them, if they can be seen as somehow less than human. This film helps expose the lie of the trappings of wealth and high culture on display in the powerful nations of Western Europe and the United States. The palaces and artwork of the Flemish masters in Belgium (as an example) are built upon the severed hands of African people, often children.
When we look on in horror at the despicable conditions in most of modern Africa today, we must remember that the continent is owed a debt in blood. One that can never truly be repaid by Europe and the United States. And of which the vast majority of those nations' white populations remain blithely ignorant.
Full disclosure- I'm a white American male.

Facts, that I never knew. Very good documentary. Really worth seeing. It is a common problem around the world, people thinking in stereotypes, myself included. If you think it does not interest you, take a look at this documentary, you will be taught something else, things you never thought.

This Doc should be part of History in every high school, it should be part of the History program, it should be mandatory.
It should be understood by the students that the emotional feelings lived after seeing the Doc are of course legit, but not the point of this Doc. Dr Martin Luther King & Malcom X repeated over and over that education, knowledge would change things, not violence. If the younger generation would understand the reason of the present situation lived by the majority of Blacks, then change would be immediate and constant. Maybe a new brilliant and courageous Black man could be a source of inspiration.